I just watched a video about the chukchi people who live in the most north easterly corner of Russia. in one place they were talking about having run out of supplies due to weather (holy cow! their weather!) they only had what they managed to catch from the sea. so.... the government sent in food by helicopters to tie them over.

each village got a bag of sugar and a bag of flour.

WTF? are you kidding me?

the last two things you'd think they'd want, rather than, I donno, carrots and apples perhaps?

apparently there is a law that whenever people need food, they have to have flour and sugar. no matter if they want it or if it's even part of their diet. or if it makes them ill.

The flour is to make unleavened bread, unless they have the time to let it rise naturally.I don't understand about the sugar though, unless it is considered a source of energy.

When I went on missions, the bare minimum drop sack consisted of wheat flower, corn meal, beans, cooking oil, dried egg powder, powdered milk, matches, and the can this was packed in could be used to cook the bread or corn meal.There were other things in the can as well, both medicinal and edible. However, we normally used the full-service pack which held four large meals, which could be spread out to eight meals if necessary. What it contained was better than what survival packs we got in the service.

Flour and sugar'd last longer than fresh fruit or veg, and the unleaven bread, as Gary says, would act as a staple diet for a short time. As Wonderbunny says, it'd provide the energy needed to keep people going.

but flour and especially sugar are a nutritional disaster! by the time they're 'refined' there's nothing but empty calories left.

the peoples mostly subjected for this travesty would be the northern Siberian and inuit people who'd get calories from fish, seal etc but run short of vit c and d, f ex. if they were not able to fish or hunt, any source of protein would help.

Yes, I see what you mean, but it WOULD suffice for a while. The sugar could be used in drinks, and it'd sustain someone over a certain period.

In some parts of the world, flour IS the staple diet - e.g. in India where the women make chapatis (flat bread). They aren't getting the vitamins and minerals needed for good health, and especially in some parts of Africa as well, but it's the difference between life and death.

The minimal size drop sacks we used did not contain sugar, but had beans for the protein.

Bread is a major portion of any meal. It is used to soak up the juices from some other edible. Or as we do, as in making sandwiches. Fish is often eaten with bread. The beans are usually eaten with the corn bread supplied.

We normally provided much larger food rations as soon as possible. The small drop sacks were for instant day one relief for those we met. Depending on our mode of transportation, on foot or on bike, we could carry between fifteen and fifty small drop sacks with us. This provides a light meal for up to four days, until the larger supplies could be delivered. Helping a few dozen people Today, is better than providing more to fewer people, or making them wait another four days to eat.Some food NOW to many, is much better than a lot of food to a select few, until more could arrive.This was the whole purpose of the small drop sacks. But we didn't use them if there was a truck a half hour behind us with large full meal kits. We had small protein bars we handed out to everyone we passed, and told them help was on the way.Even so, we still got beat up a few times, and the food bags stolen from us. A shame really, because our policy was not to help those who robbed us. They probably stole from those we did supply with the larger meal packs after we were gone. Not much we can do about it either. Criminals are everywhere!